The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) may already be planning to revise the so-called “anti-fat-cat clause” in the Civil Servant Retirement Act (公務人員退休法), even though it was adopted in January and only came into force this month, sources said.
The anti-fat-cat clause refers to amendments that stipulate that civil servants can only apply to retire at the age of 55 after having served in government for 30 years or at the age of 60 after serving 25 years.
The amendments were adopted by the legislature on Jan. 1 and then underwent a three-month buffer period, before taking effect on April 1.
The amendments also place limitations on applications for the 18 percent preferential interest rate savings account available to some public servants, as well as bans civil servants from serving in paid positions at government-sponsored organizations or government-owned businesses since they already have retirement pensions.
However, sources said KMT Secretary-General Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) had asked the KMT caucus to revise the law again, making the post-civil service employment restrictions only applicable to organizations receiving more than NT$10 million (US$344,000) in government funding.
Sources said that Liao did so at the request of former Taichung mayor Lin Poh-jung (林柏榕), who is now a presidential adviser and chairman of the World Trade Center Taichung.
Lin said it was unreasonable to include organizations on the list with as little as 1 percent of their funding coming from the government, sources said.
The KMT caucus immediately requested the Examination Yuan and the Ministry of Civil Service to explore the possibility of limiting the employment restrictions on retired civil servants who were collecting retirement pensions.
Democratic Progressive Party caucus secretary-general Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) questioned the legitimacy of the planned revisions and accused the KMT of prioritizing the party’s interests over those of the government.
Wong also said the KMT was mulling the revision to please civil servants and win their vote in the upcoming legislative and presidential elections.
With many Taiwanese still unemployed, it is unfair that retired government workers — who already receive high retirement pensions — continue to get paid for serving in positions in government-sponsored organizations or -government-owned businesses, Wong said.
In addition, one position filled by a retired civil servant means one less position for people of working age who are seeking jobs, she said.
If the KMT were to push the revision through, it would only draw resentment from the general public, Wong added.
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